Authorities have charged two men in connection with the tragic death of 15-year-old wakeboarder Ella Adler, who was involved in a hit-and-run boating accident, as announced on Tuesday.
One of the individuals charged, 78-year-old Carlos Guillermo Alonso, is alleged to have struck Adler on May 11, 2024, while navigating a 42-foot Boston Whaler in Biscayne Bay. Reports indicate that Adler was left floating in a pool of blood after the collision, but Alonso continued driving, seemingly unaware of what had happened, before returning to his $3.5 million home in Coral Gables.
Eyewitness accounts confirm that Alonso did not slow down or stop following the incident.
At the time, Miami High School students and ballet dancers were celebrating a birthday at Nixon Beach in Key Biscayne.
Video footage reportedly shows Alonso docking the boat shortly after the accident, without making any apparent effort to conceal or clean the vessel, a fact his lawyer emphasized.
On April 28, Alonso faced misdemeanor charges for careless vessel operation and was cited for several violations of U.S. Coast Guard rules, including failing to maintain a proper appearance and liability as a boat operator. His lawyers stated that he has cooperated fully with investigators and has relinquished the boat for examination.
Richard Hartley, 31, the captain of the boat on which Adler was wakeboarding, has also been charged. He is accused of careless operation of a vessel in breach of multiple coastal rules, including those concerning the risk of collision.
Adler was fondly remembered in her obituary as a gifted and passionate dancer, with her father, Matthew Adler, expressing heartfelt sentiments about her untimely passing during the funeral. He noted that she was taken from them far too soon, leaving the world devoid of all the potential she had to offer.
